Kenneth Arnold Chesney, known as Kenny Chesney to his legions of fans, was born on March 26, 1968, to father David Chesney, a former elementary school teacher, and mother Karen Chandler, a hair stylist. The future country superstar graduated from high school in 1986 and from East Tennessee State University in 1990. During those years, he recorded a self-released demo, which sold 1,000 copies, and, after graduation, he moved to Music City.
Chesney became a regular at the Turf, one of Nashville’s honky-tonks, and in 1992, he signed his very first songwriting contract. While his first album, In My Wildest Dreams, was not an instant success, it got his foot in the door and sold around 10,000 copies. Chesney’s second album, All I Need to Know (his first with BNA Records), gave him two Top 10 songs, and 1996’s Me and You became Chesney’s first gold-certified record. He won the Academy of Country Music’s New Male Vocalist of the Year award in 1997 … and the rest is pretty much history.
Chesney has numerous ACM Awards and CMA Awards, including the illustrious Entertainer of the Year trophy, to his name. He’s sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has also had success as a crossover artist. The singer’s high-energy tours are among country music’s best, and he’s known as a road warrior, having toured every summer from 2001 until 2014, when he stayed off the road to craft The Big Revival.
Click through the photo gallery below to see Chesney’s career in pictures. You’ll see him with a baby face and dark, wavy hair, some of his biggest album’s covers, tour photos, snaps from acceptance speeches and more:
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